Pulper



sept. A26, 1933.\ c. G. MUENCH 1,928,601

PULPER Filed Aug. 19. 1929 3 Sheets sheet l .it l

N g U Mnd@ SePt- 26, 1933- c. GIMUENCH 1,928,601

PULPER Filed Aug. 19. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 wmmmm g mxmmw /Z'v l /4Gttomeg Suventor 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 c. G. Mul-:NCH

PULPER Filed Aug. 19, 1929- Sept. 26, 1933.'

atented Sept. 26, 1933 rULPER Carl G. Muench, New Orleans, La., assignorto The Celotex Company, tion of Delaware Chicago, Ill., a corpora-Application August 19, izs. serial No. 386,885

23 Claims.

This invention relates to pulpers and more particularly to pulpers forrefuse material known as broke usually found around paper and pulp millsor the like, said invention having for its object to provide a device aswell as a method for handling said material which arelmore efficient inuse and less costly of operation than those heretofore proposed.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the noveldetails of construction and combinations of parts constituting theapparatus, and the novel steps and combinations of steps constitutingthe method all as will be more fully hereinafter disclosed andparticularly pointed out inthe claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification in which like numerals designate like parts in all theviews,-

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a dep vice made inaccordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the parts shown in Fig. 1 on a horizontalplane immediately above the shaft 4; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionalview taken as on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction ofthe arrows; and 4 A Fig. 4 is a transverse view of the device taken ason the line 4--4'of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

In order that this invention may be the better understood it is saidthat in mills where paper or ber stock is being worked there accumulatesfrom time to time quite a quantity of ends, tailings, malformations ofpulp stock, cuttings, and odd shapes of the material undergoingmanufacture which in many instances has been treated as waste. Suchwte'material as just described is commonly known in the art as broke,but this material in practically al1 instances is composed of preformedfibers or bers which have been refined to the point where they are readyfor felting or otherwise forming into the material being manufactured.The present invention has to deal with a suitable device fordisassembling the broke to recover the bers which may again be utilizedin forming material, as well as the method by which the broke is handledto obtain such a result.

Referring more particularly to Fig. l it will be readily seen that thedevice comprises an agitating tank 1 made of concrete 'or other suitablematerial which is disposed below the oor 2 of the mill and preferablyprovided with a metallic lining -3. This tank is preferably polygonal intransverse cross section and as illustrated in Fig. 4 has eight sides,although this number of sides may be increased or diminished as desiredand in fact a tank having a basically circular cross section withinwardly extending projections may serve equally well. The purpose ofthis construction is to provide a tank having some definite type ofobstructions to prevent the stock from freely circulating, therebyobtaining better action upon the fibrous mass. Extending longitudinallythrough the tank is a shaft 4 driven by any suitable source of power,said shaft supported in suitable journals 5 and 6 exteriorly of saidtank with stuffing boxes 7 and 8 respectively to prevent the escape ofliquid from the tank. If desired an intermediate cross support 9 may beprovided substantially midway the ends of the tank in order to rgivemore rigidity to saidshaft;

The tank 1 has an enlarged end portion constituting a second tank 12 thefloor 13 of which is below that of the tank 1. Concentrically disposedabout the shaft 4 in the tank 12 is a perforated screen 14 which, asclearly shown in Fig. 3 has vertically extending spaced walls 15 at itsuppermost portion said walls extending to removable sectional covers 16disposed slightly above the floor level 2 of the room in which thedevice is located. These covers lie in the plane of a platform 17, seeFig. 4, from which the broke may be dumped from wheelbarrows or the likethrough the open longitudinally extending mouth 18 of the tank 1, saidmouth constituting a hopper, the broke so dumped being downwardlydirected into the tank by the inclined surface 19 of one side of saidhopper. A suitable guard such as the railing 20 may be-providedsurrounding said mouth on al1 sides but one thereof.

Within the perforated screen 14 and working against the inner surfacethereof there are provided scrapers comprising wooden cleats 22 rigidlyconnected across the ends of arms 23 rigidly mounted for revolution withthe shaft 4, the purpose of the cleats being to aid the passing oftheseparated bers of the broke through the perforations of said screen intothe second or flotation tank 12. A wier 24 which can be made of variableheight due to its sectional formation is disposed in vertical guideways25 near one end` of the flotation tank 12 to provide a third or drainagetank 26 having an outlet 27 near its bottom which Also mounted on theshaft 4, but within the tank 1, is a plurality of agitator or beaterarms 32 each having a flat face 33 which contacts with the broke as thearms are being rotated in the direction of the arrow, see Fig. 4. Thesearms are preferably made in two halves secured together as at 84 andeach arm is slightly curved to cause a drawing action on the broke as itis forced around and around in the tank. These arms are placed instaggered relation throughout the length of the shaft and are placedwith their hub portions almost contacting each other so that quite anumber of said arms are disposed within the agitating tank. By havingthe arms staggered, the broke is caused not only to move in a circularpath in the direction of rotation of the arms, but it is caused to movelaterally from the rotational plane of each arm which latter action,when augmented by thel flow of water through the device, causes apositive movement of the broke in the tank in a direction toward theperforated screen 14. The blade of each armis substantially of T shapeformation providing a strengthening rib to withstand the resistance ofthe broke being worked.

Thus it will be seen that the arms 32 will cause the broke, which has atendency to settle, to be moved upwardly and around the polygonal sidesof said tank during which movement the` arms, by their curvilinearshape, will cause said broke to move in a direction from the shaft 4 tothe sides of the tank, thus coming in contact with said polygonal sidesand the pockets 36 formed therebetween. In other words, the broke is notgiven an entirely smooth and uninterrupted tank surface over Whichtotravel, with the result that adjacent portions of the broke act uponeach other under the impeller action of the arms 32 and thus cooperateto further aid in the disassociation of the individual fibers.

Water is admitted to the agitating tank 1 through the pipe 40.having avalve 41 therein, and a second water supply through pipe 42 may becontrollingly admitted to the flotation tank 12 as by the valve 43. Thetwo tanks are filled with water to the level indicated at 44 and whichis controlled by the wier 24 which should be of suflicient height tohave the water completely cover the rotating arms 32. The broke, fedinto the device through the hopper 18, is submerged by the rotating arms32 and worked thereby against the irregular sides of tank 1 and againstother particles of the broke as a result of which the original sizes ofthe broke are reduced and the fibrous knature thereof exposed to theaction of the water which softens the fiber bundles whereby theindividual fibers may ultimately be freed. Suicient water is added fromthe pipe 40 either continuously or from time to time to maintain a thicksaturated mixture which works its way slowly but positively by thehereinbefore mentioned action towards the perforated plate 14.Additional water is added from the pipe 42 to dilute the material towhatever point may be desired for handling the material at the flotationend of the device. The fibers, which are thoroughly broken apart, arecaused by uid action to be washed through the perforations of the plate14, being assisted by the Scrapers 22 and will ultimately flow over thewier 24 into the tank 26 from which they are recovered by thecentrifugal pump 28 and delivered to a desired point.

Thus it will be seen that by this construction there is provided anapparatus which is designed to receive/relativelylarge quantities ofbroke or other fibrous material which can be dumped upon the platform 17and which will automatically feed through the hopper 18 into theagitating tank 1 due to the constantly rotating impeller blades 32. Alsoit is an object of this invention to provide a device whose top isentirely open thereby permitting a constant and ready inspection of thecondition of the stock, which is a great advantage since in heretoforeknown types of pulpers which are inclosed it has been impossible to see`the condition of the stock while it is being disintegrated as a resultof which too little or too much water would be present; in the case oftoo little water the pulper would become plugged, and when too muchwater was present the stock would pass through without being properlyreduced. Further it will be seen that the agitation of the material insaid tank in the presence of water will cause a softening of' the brokeas a result of which the blades 32 will separate the broke portions intorelatively small fiber bundles which subsequently become still furtherreduced to produce a total disassociation of the fibers. Also, theseparation or fibrillation of the broke is peculiarly augmented by theshape of the receiving tank which, in crosssection, is basicallycylindrical with longitudinallyextending enlargements outside of thebasic cylindric form, forming pockets retaining some of the brokematerial and against which the remainder of the broke frictionallycontacts in its agitation by the impellers thus producing frictionalseparation of the fibers. This mechanical separation of the fibers isaugmented by the broke portions acting upon other broke portions as wellas the action of the broke in being squeezed by the extremities of theblades 32 against the polygonal sides of the agitating tank or the otherobstructions thereof.

A further aid in the disassociation of the fibers occurs in theflotation tank within the circular screen 14 in that fibers extendingfrom bundles will catch in the perforations of said screen and besubjected to a tearing apart action from their associated fibers andthis in turn is augmented by the Scrapers 22 in dragging a portion ofthe fibrous pulpy mass over other portions thereof as well as saidperforations since the excess water escapes through the screen. Afterthe bers have become disassociated they have a natural tendency to oaton the surface of the water in the flotation tank and thus will easilycascade over the top of the wier 24 with the excess water from saidtank.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details ofconstruction constituting the apparatus as well as the stepsconstituting the method, within the scope of this invention andtherefore it is not desired to be limited to the foregoing disclosureexcept as may be demanded by the claims.

What is claimed isz- I 1. A pulper comprising a water supply; a tank toreceive material for fiber liberation. said tank having polygonal-sidesassisting in said liberation; impellers in said tank; a second tankcommunicating with said first tank; a screen in said second tank; arotor engaging the inner surface of said screen; and a wier at one endof said second tank to limit the water level in said first and secondtanks.

2. A pulper comprising a water supply; a tank to receive material forber liberation, said tank having polygonal sides assisting in saidliberation; impellers in said tank coacting with said sides to causedisassociation of the material; a

second tank communicating with said rsttank;

a screen in said second tank; a rotor engaging the innersurface of saidscreen; and a wier at one end of said second tank to limit the waterlevel in said first and second tanks.

3. A pulper comprising awater supply; a tank to receive material forliber liberation, said'tank having polygonal sides Withpocketstherebetween assisting in said liberation; impellers in said tanksubstantially meeting each of said sides when actuated, said impellersadapted to move the material through said pockets into contactingrelation with said sides;` a second tank communicating w with said rsttank; a screen in said second tank; a rotor engaging the'inner surfaceof said screen; and a wier at one end of said second tank to limit thewater level in said iirst and second tanks.

4. A pulper comprising a water supply; a tank to receive material forfiber liberation, said tank having polygonal sides Withpocketstherebetween assisting in said liberation; impellers in said tankadapted when actuated to move 'the material through said pockets andsqueeze it against said sides; a second tank communicating with saidfirst tank; a screen in said second tank; a rotor engaging the innersurface of said screen; and

a wier at one end of said second tank to limit the water level in saidrst and second tanks.

5. A pulper comprising a Water supply; a tank to receive material forliber liberation, said tank having polygonal sides assisting in saidliberation;` curvilinear impellers in said tank mounted for rotation tomove the material into contact with said sides for cooperativedisassociation of the bers; a second tank communicating with said firsttank; a screen in said second tank; a rotor engaging the inner surfaceofsaid screen; and a wier at one end of said second tank to limit thewater level in said rst and second tanks.

6. A pulper comprising a water supply; a tank to receive material forber liberation, said tank having polygonal sides assisting in saidliberation; impellers mounted on a rotating shaft in staggered relationin said tank, each impeller of a length to substantially meet said sidesduring rotation; a second tank communicating with said rst tank; ascreen in said second tank; a rotor fengaging the inner'surface of saidscreen; and a wier at one end of said second tank to limit thewater'le'vel in vsaid first and second tanks.

,7. A pulper comprising a water supply; a tank to receive material forfiber liberation, said tank having polygonal sides assisting in saidliberation; impellers in said tank; a second tank transversely disposedof and freely communicating with said rst tank; a screen in said secondtank in substantial prolongation of the sides of said ,first tank; arotor engaging the inner surface of said screen; and a wier at one endof saidsecond tank to vlimit the water level in said first and secondtanks.

8. A pulper comprising a water, supply; a tank to receive material forfiber liberation, said tank C5 having polygonal sides assisting in saidliberation; impellers mounted on a rotating shaft in said tank; a secondtank communicating with said first tank; a screen in said second tank;Ja rotor mounted on the impeller shaft and engaging the inner surface ofsaid screen; and a wier at one end of said second tankto limit the waterlevel in said first andsecond tanks.

9. A pulper comprising a water supply; a tank to receive material forfiber liberation, said tank a having polygonal sides in said 1ibera,

tion; impellers said tank; a second tank vformed at the end of andfreely communicating with said rst tank; a substantially cylindricalscreen in said second tank concentric with said rst tank into which thestock from the impellers is passed; a rotor engaging the inner surfaceof said screen; and a wier at one end of said. second tank to limit thewater level in said first and second tanks.

10. Apulper comprising a water supply; a tank toreceive material forliber liberation, said tank having polygonal sides assisting in saidliberation; impellers in said tank; a second tank communicating withsaid first tank; a foram'inous screen in said second tank disposed toreceive the partly fibrillated stock; a rotor engaging the in-l nersurface of said screen tofurther flbrillate the stock and force thefreed fibers through said screen; and a wier at one end of said secondtank to limit the water level in said first and. second tanks i 11.' Apulper comprising a Water supply; atank to receive material forber,liberation, said tank having polygonal sides assisting in saidliberation; impellers in said tank; a second tank communicating 'withsaid first tank; a screen in\ said second tank; a rotor engaging theinner surface of said screen; and a wier at one end of said second tankto limit the Water level in said first and second tanks said wierforming a third tank into which the liberated fibers flow With theexcess water.

12. In a machine for disintegrating fibrous ma-l terial, alongitudinally arranged tank receiving the material for ber liberation,the Walls of thea tank basically substantially cylindrical in cross 110section in a plane -at right angles to its longi- .tudinal axis, buthaving in substantially regular arrangement and extendinglongitudinally, spaced enlargements outside of the basic cylindric form,surfaces of such enlargements merging into the 115 general circular formof the tank as tangents.

13. In a machine for disintegrating brous material,` a longitudinallyarranged tank receiving the material for ber liberation, 1the Walls ofthe tank basically substantially cylindrical in cross section in a planeat right angles to its longitudinal axis, but having in substantiallyregularJ arrangement and exten-ding longitudinally, independentenlargements outside of the basic cylindric form, said enlargementsformed by the intersection of the Wall surfaces substantially the entiretop of the tank open for reception of mates rial. l

14. In a machine for disintegrating fibrous material, a longitudinallyarranged tank receiving the material for fiber liberation, the Walls ofthe tank basically substantially cylindrical incross section in a planeat rig. it angles to its longitudinal axis, but having in substantiallyregular arrangement and extending longitudinally, inde- L35 pendent,spacedenlargements outside of the basic cylindric form, saidenlargements formed by the intersection of the wall surfaces and a shaftarranged axially in the tank with substantially radially extendingbeater arms lmounted on thelil)Y 15. A pulper comprising a Watersupplygdischarging to a tank receiving material for fibre liberation,the tank having a cross section substantially circular but havinglongitudinally arranged enlargements assisting in breliberation;substantially radial beater arms in said tank mountedfor rotation tomove the aterial into contact with the interior surfaces o the tank; asecond tank communicating with said first tank; a

classifying member in said second tank; a rotor engaging the innersurface of said classifying member; and a weir at one end of said secondtank to maintain a predetermined level of the water and fibre in saidfirst and second tanks.

16. The method of pulping fibrous materials wherein in a longitudinallyextending receiver the raw material is introduced at points throughoutthe length of the receiver agitated and disintegrated by mechanicalaction at substantially the loci of introduction of the material withoutappreciable movement thereof longitudinally of the receiver, thematerial when reduced floated off from the surface of the mass in fluidsuspension.

17. The method of pulping fibrous materials wherein in a receiver theraw material is agitated and disintegrated by mechanical action atsubstantially the loci of introduction of the material withoutappreciable movement thereof longitudinally of the receiver, the reducedmaterial subsequently floated off from the surface of the mass in uidsuspension, unreduced material restrained from escape from the receiver,the depth of the material in the receiver maintained at a substantiallyconstant predetermined depth.

18. The method of disintegrating fiber stock which consists in softeningthe, stock in a fluid stream while subjected to agitation, the agitationsuch that unreduced stock is at times projected outside the directsphere of action of the agitator means comprising substantially radialarms positioned in an arrangement not to impel the stock longitudinallyand is at times returned to within the sphere of action of the agitatormeans, through the urge of unreduced stock impelled bf theragitatormeans, to frictionally contact such unreduced stock to cause partialreduction thereof and its return into the sphere of action of theagitator means.

19. The method of disintegrating ber stock which consists in softeningthe stock in a fluid stream while subjected to agitation, the agitationsuch that unreduced stock is at times projected outside the directsphere of action of the agitator means comprising substantially radialarms positioned in an arrangement not to impel the stock longitudinallyand is at times returned to within the sphere of action of the agitatormeans, through the urge of unreduced stock impelled by by the agitatormeans, to frictionally contact such unreduced stock to cause partialreduction thereof and its return into the sphere of action of theagitator means, fibers as freed permitted to escape from theundisintegrated mass through uid otation from the top surface thereof.

20. A pulper comprising a water supply, a tank to receive material forfiber liberation, said tank having polygonal sides assisting in saidliberation, agitating members in said tank; a second tank communicatingwith said first tank, a classifying member in said second tank and meansassociated withthe second tank to maintain therein and in the rst tank apredetermined liquid height.

21. In a machine for disintegrating fibrous material, a longitudinallyarranged open top tank to receive material for fiber liberation, a shaftlongitudinally mounted of the tank for rotation therein, disintegratingarms on the rotatably mounted shaft, the disintegrating arms rotated bythe shaft to describe circular areas substantially perpendicular to theshaft axis, and associated with the tank means maintaining apredetermined level of material therein.

22. A ber pulper comprising an open top, elongated pulper tank ofgenerally circular cross section, projections from the general circularcontour of the tank, a shaft journaled axially of the tank,substantially radial arms mounted on the shaft and of a length to clearthe tank structure when revolved, a second tank in unrestrictedcommunication with one end of the pulper tank, fiber classifying meansin the second tank and said second tank having an escape wier to limitthe water level in the tanks.

23. A ber pulper having an elongated pulper tank of generally circularcross section, the tank open at the top throughout its length,projections from the general circular contour of the tank, a shaftrotatably journaled axially of the tank, pulp disintegrating armsmounted on the shaft and rotating therewith, said arms of a length andspaced along the length of the shaft to clear the projections from thegeneral circular contour of the tank, a water supply adjacent to one endof the tank, a classifying tank adjacent to the other end of the pulpertank and in free communication therewith, to receive pulp therefrom, awet fiber classier in the classifying tank to allow the escape of fullypulped material therefrom and an escape wier in said classifying tankand serving to maintain a denite minimum water level in said pulper andclassifier tanks.

CARL G. MUENCH.

